DPI
How much movement information the mouse produces over a physical distance. Higher DPI sends more counts for the same movement. It does not automatically mean faster aiming if the game’s sensitivity is reduced to match.
Understand it. Then get back to playing.
Mouse settings, without the confusion.
Your mouse, desktop and game each have a setting. Here’s what to change—and what to leave alone when you apply an FPS calibration.
Pointer speed
How quickly the ordinary cursor travels across your desktop. It is not the same number as game sensitivity. A game using raw mouse input can bypass desktop pointer processing.
Sensitivity
How much the camera turns for the mouse movement it receives. Each game can use a different number for the same physical response. That’s why copying “1.0” between games often does not match them.
What does “cm / 360°” mean?
It is the distance your mouse travels on the desk to turn the view through one full circle. At 40 cm / 360°, a 20 cm movement is a half-turn. A smaller full-turn distance means faster camera movement; a larger distance means slower movement.
Our new assessment moves a first-person view, not just the desktop cursor. Its starting “1” is internal: the default corresponds to 35 cm per turn after the mouse-distance setup. The test explores other responses and checks its choice on fresh targets.
Windows
- Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Mouse.
- Use Mouse pointer speed for comfortable desktop movement. This is not where you enter a game sensitivity or a cm / 360° number.
- For the ruler check, use consistent movement. If slow and brisk swipes differ, check Enhance pointer precision. On layouts where it is not shown directly, use Additional mouse settings → Pointer Options.
- Keep settings unchanged during the calibration. Apply the final turning response in the game’s mouse controls, then verify a physical turn.
DPI is usually changed using your mouse’s buttons or its manufacturer’s software—not the Windows pointer-speed slider.
Microsoft’s mouse settings guide ↗Mac
- Open Apple menu → System Settings → Mouse. Available controls depend on the mouse and macOS version.
- Use Tracking speed for your desktop cursor. It is not an in-game sensitivity setting.
- Where available, open Advanced → Pointer acceleration. Turning acceleration off makes desktop movement less dependent on swipe speed. Repeat the ruler check after changing it.
- Use a mouse for the aiming assessment, not a trackpad. Keep this setup unchanged, then apply your result in the game or supported aim trainer.
Use the manufacturer’s utility for DPI where supported. The website cannot read or change that hardware setting automatically.
Apple’s tracking and acceleration guide ↗Do I need to change Windows or Mac to the result?
No—the FPS result is a turning response, not a desktop slider position. Keep the desktop comfortable. The calculator helps you apply the result to the game’s camera movement. Changing only the desktop slider may not affect a raw-input game at all.
If you change DPI later, recalculate the in-game number at the new DPI to preserve the same full-turn distance. If you change browser input or acceleration, redo the mouse measurement before another assessment.
Clear result. Honest limits.
What the test chooses
A useful starting response among the settings you actually tested. Endpoint precision, click timing, under- and overflicks, path control, velocity, braking, tracking error and relocation recovery contribute to the comparison. Fresh rounds check the candidate against your starting response.
When an advantage does not repeat, the report says so briefly. A fine-tune run can recommend keeping your starting response. It will not turn unusable data into a made-up winner.
What it doesn’t claim
One session does not establish your universal optimum, long-term improvement or competitive performance. Ruler measurements are user measurements. We have tested software behaviour, not certified every mouse, browser or game.
The calculator matches horizontal hip-fire distance. Different fields of view, scoped aiming and game-specific acceleration can change the feel. Verify in the game you play.
Technical sources
MDN: Pointer Lock · Unadjusted movement requests · Microsoft: raw mouse movement. Settings guides checked 23 September 2026; labels can vary with the installed version.